We saw it happen nationally and it was unquestionably coming to the NBA campus in Orlando — mask fatigue.
It apparently is serious enough within the NBA restart campus at the Walt Disney World Resort that the league sent a memo to all teams reminding them of the need for their players and staff to wear masks within the bubble — and there can be punishment for those who don’t. From Marc Stein at the New York Times.
NBA teams were notified today by the league office to re-emphasize the use of masks and face coverings by everyone in the NBA bubble and were also told to utilize a portion of their next team meeting to reiterate the importance of doing so, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 2, 2020
Teams were also reminded today that penalties for non-compliance on mask wearing at the NBA Bubble range from warnings to fines, suspensions and potentially even removal from campus, @NYTSports has learned ... with repeat offenders subject to enhanced discipline
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 2, 2020
To date, no player inside the bubble has tested positive for the coronavirus (there was one false positive of a Kings’ player; results of testing for this past week are expected to be announced Monday). That can lead to a sense of complacency, a feeling of “if nobody has the disease why are we wearing masks?” The Lakers’ Dwight Howard has already been warned for not wearing his.
However, if the virus gets inside the bubble — and that absolutely can happen — then masks can help prevent the spread and contain an outbreak. The NBA wants to avoid what has been seen in other leagues, like the MLS or MLB, where the virus spread through and decimated a roster, throwing off restart plans for those leagues.
Masks help stop the spread of the disease. It’s that simple and it’s proven.
The NBA has been able to keep the virus at bay so far because players and staff have followed the protocols. There is natural fatigue with that, but the league has to try and keep the standards up.
